Washington

Senators gear up for chaotic post-recess return to Washington

Published

2 years ago

May 29, 2023

Senators gear up for chaotic post-recess return to Washington

Lawmakers and party leadership will be forced to grapple with the debt ceiling’s ticking time bomb and a host of shifting political dynamics when the Senate returns from its May recess on Tuesday.

Top of mind for the Senate is the bill that House negotiators brokered with the White House to end the debt limit impasse. That legislation is expected to head for a vote in the lower chamber on Wednesday, putting pressure on the upper chamber to consider it in short order.

WHAT 2024 GOP CANDIDATES HAVE SAID ON TAX POLICY

Debt ceiling frenzy

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has told his members to prepare for a vote Friday. That’s three days before the so-called “X-date” in which Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has projected the government will run out of cash to meet all of its obligations on time.

However, some Republican members are already souring on the measure. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) threatened to “use every procedural tool at my disposal to impede a debt-ceiling deal that doesn’t contain substantial spending and budgetary reforms.”

The text of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 dropped late Sunday evening, meaning many members are likely parsing through it. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has urged his members to back the bipartisan deal, but opponents could deploy legislative tools to bog down the process.

Looming over the debt ceiling deal is Yellen’s June 5 deadline. Should the Senate fumble the debt limit deal, it could be detrimental to the economy, given the risks of a default.

Nevertheless, with a melange of rank-and-file members as well as top leaders such as McConnell on board, there is optimism the deal will squeak by.

Permitting reform

Throughout the first two years of President Joe Biden’s administration, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) often served as the linchpin vote with the power to scuttle big-ticket priorities for his party. But one objective he had was permitting reform.

Last year, after Manchin signed on to the Inflation Reduction Act, a move he later expressed regret over, his team claimed that he secured “commitment from Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and President Biden to pass this comprehensive permitting reform package.”

Many progressives dissented over the reform, and Congress did not pass the full scope of what he sought. But now, Manchin appears to be getting some of what he wanted on that front in the debt ceiling deal. Notably, the deal also includes a provision to expedite the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, something that Manchin has also advocated.

McCarthy revealed Sunday that Republicans are seeking to hash out further reforms to the permitting process in the future.

Dianne Feinstein

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) made her return to the upper chamber earlier this month after taking medical leave following a case of shingles. It was later revealed that infection caused complications such as encephalitis, an inflation of the brain that can trigger paralysis on part of her face, per the New York Times.

Feinstein’s prolonged absence hampered Democratic efforts to ram controversial judicial picks through the Senate Judiciary Committee. At 89 years old, Feinstein is the oldest member of either chamber in Congress.

Whispers of consternation about her age grew louder during her time away from the Senate. But recently, they were further fueled by reports that she became deeply confused at times, including once when Vice President Kamala Harris presided over a tiebreaker vote.

Recently, she raised eyebrows when she denied a reporter’s assertion that she was absent from the Senate for roughly three months.

Feinstein is expected to return to the Senate in the shadow of some of those recent revelations.

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Tim Scott

Senators are famous for looking in the mirror and seeing a president. In contrast with past presidential election cycles, only one, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), is running for the White House thus far.

Scott announced his bid last week, further tying 2024 presidential politics to the upper chamber.

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Washington

Report: Washington State quarterback John Mateer expected to enter transfer portal

Published

8 hours ago

December 16, 2024

Press Room

Report: Washington State quarterback John Mateer expected to enter transfer portal

Washington State quarterback John Mateer is expected to enter the transfer portal, per CBS Sports. The redshirt sophomore has two years of eligibility remaining.

Mateer led the Cougars to an 8-4 record in 2024, as the quarterback threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Mateer finished the regular season ranked No. 5 in the nation in total individual offensive production, producing 330.4 yards per game.

The 6-foot-1, 219-pound quarterback backed up Cam Ward in 2023, playing in all 12 games coming off the bench. Similar to Ward a year ago, Mateer is instantly viewed as one of the top available quarterbacks available on the transfer marker. With two years of eligibility remaining, he will be one of the most sought-after quarterbacks.

Mateer has thrown for 3,406 career yards and was a three-star recruit coming out of high school. The quarterback held offers from a range of FCS schools, with Washington State standing as one of his lone FBS offers.

The Little Elm High (Texas) product threw for 2,449 yards as a senior in 2021, breaking a single-season school record that he’d set one year before with 2,268 yards. Schools like Auburn, Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida State, Missouri and Iowa are expected to be in the market for a portal quarterback this offseason. Washington State will close the year bowl-eligible and is averaging 36.8 points per game.

The transfer officially opens on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. More than 2,800 FBS scholarship players entered their names into the NCAA’s transfer database during the 2023-24 school year. Removing those who withdrew or went pro, the final total sat at 2,707 transfers. That means roughly 25% of all FBS scholarship players hit free agency in one year.

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Seats Open For 2025 Eighth Grade Trip To Washington, DC

Published

16 hours ago

December 16, 2024

Press Room

Seats Open For 2025 Eighth Grade Trip To Washington, DC

BY ROBERTA COCKING

It’s not too late to sign up for the 8th grade spring break trip to Washington, DC. In fact, the trip would be a great idea for a perfect Christmas present for your 8th grade student! There are currently 11 airline seats/ trip spaces left for the trip. Deadline for the trip at the current price is January 10, 2025. After that date, it will still be possible to sign up, however, there might be an increase to the trip price due to late charges, increased airline or hotel prices.

Flexible payment plans and fundraising tools are available. The trip is a private trip and not a school sponsored trip and has been offered to Los Alamos Middle School students for over 35 years.

The trip will include round trip air transportation, sightseeing, transportation in and around Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland, all meals and admissions, hotel accommodations, night chaperones in hotel, accident and health insurance. An on-call doctor is available for student illness or emergencies. Highlights of the trip include the White House, the International Spy Museum, a Capitol tour, the Pentagon Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Holocaust Museum, the Smithsonian museums, the National Zoo, Arlington National Cemetery, night tours of the Presidential Monuments, the Iwo Jima, Korean, and the Vietnam Memorials, the National Aquarium in Baltimore and much more. Four students will be selected to lay the morning wreath at Arlington National Cemetery Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The trip will be four days and three nights in duration. The group will stay in a five star hotel in Arlington or Crystal City, minutes from the DC sites.

Here are a few comments from parents and students regarding previous trips:

“I am so grateful for Roberta and the staff at Worldstrides! They organized an unforgettable trip in DC and Baltimore for the Los Alamos students and myself. Their knowledge of the city, museums, transportation, etc. allowed them to stay flexible in bad weather, make alternative schedules when things were closed and they kept the kids busy each and every moment of every day. I lived in DC for several years and I never saw the city in the way I did with Roberta!” -April Wade

“The DC trip was so much fun and educational. It was amazing how many things we got to see in the time we were there! The city is beautiful and has so much history for our kids to learn from. From a parent’s perspective, it was fun to watch from a distance as my child interacted with other kids on the trip. It was fun to have them learn some safe independence and spread their wings a bit. This trip will not be forgotten. The education and memories will last a lifetime. Truly a fabulous experience!”- Christi Haynes.

“ This trip was the best of my life! I learned that I have a lot of friends in my school that I didn’t even know that I had.”

“I learned a lot on my trip to DC. It was amazing, educational and FUN! I learned a lot about the memorials, Presidents and wars! If I could go on this trip again, I would in a second!”

“I now have so much more respect for our country than I did before! Seeing all the people who died for our freedom was special to me. Without them, we wouldn’t have the life that I know. I gained a lot of knowledge. I never really knew about the wars and events until we saw them on this trip. I had never thought much about wars that my grandparents had served in until this trip. I especially loved laying the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was special to me because my grandparents served our country.”

“This trip changed me in so many ways. I learned so much about our government, not only from books but now in person. I became really good friends with people who went on this trip. I also learned a valuable lesson on how to handle my money.”

“This trip has changed me because of the Holocaust Museum. This museum made me realize what freedom really is and how much we should value our life. It made me realize how horrible it was and why we should never let it happen again.”

“I love history! This trip made me love it even more! I have been to Washington, DC many times. This was my favorite time! I have learned more history on this trip than in school. I also made tons of new friends. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity!”

“This trip has done many things for me. I have become closer to my classmates. I have become more responsible because of this trip. Being away from home made me be more responsible. I had to wake up on time, manage my money and always be back to the bus on time. I feel more like a young adult now!”

“This trip has changed me as a person in many ways. It has opened my eyes to many things that I otherwise would not have realized, understood or even cared about. I now understand the things people gave up so that this nation and all the people in it can live in freedom. This trip showed me how reading from a textbook and looking at pictures can only do so much for you. Many people died fighting for our country and are remembered and thanked for it in this city. I would have never known, understood or cared about this!”

“Because of this trip, I have finally learned to like myself!”

Sign up at https://worldstrdes.com/custom/2025-los-alamos-middle-school-dc-215374/ using Trip ID # 215374 call 1-800-468-5899. Questions? Call Roberta Cocking at 505-670-0679 or email her at scrc318@cox.net or robertac@worldstrides.com

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Five takeaways from Washington's win over New Orleans

Published

23 hours ago

December 15, 2024

Press Room

Five takeaways from Washington's win over New Orleans

The Washington Commanders secured their ninth win of the season by holding on to beat the New Orleans Saints, 20-19. Here are five takeaways from the victory.

Terry McLaurin continues to roll in what has been a tremendous season for the veteran wide receiver.

McLaurin had another solid day for the Commanders against the Saints, catching seven passes on 10 targets for 73 yards and two touchdowns, both of which came in the first half. The first came between two Saints defenders on Washington’s opening drive, capping off an acrobatic play from Jayden Daniels, while the second put the Commanders up 14-0 on a three-yard grab.

Arguably his most impressive play, however, was a 25-yard grab in the third quarter that converted a second-and-11. McLaurin plucked the ball out of the air on the left side of the field, putting the Commander at the Saints’ 44-yard line.

The Commanders’ effort to get McLaurin the ball more often has paid off for them, as they are now 7-3 when he gets at least 50 yards. It’s also helped him have what’s shaping up to be the best season of his career. He is the first Washington wide receiver to have 10 or more touchdown receptions since Gary Clark did so in 1991, and his four multi-touchdown games are the second-most in the NFL this season trailing only Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase.

McLaurin is on pace to hit a career-high 1,172 yards with three games left.

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